Google is rolling out a new experimental app for Windows, designed to help users find what they need faster and more seamlessly.
Once installed, users can sign in with their Google account, to then press Alt + Space to bring up a floating search bar that works across their local files, installed applications, Google Drive content, and web results. All of this search capabilities can be right there, allowing users to search pretty much everything on their computer, without ever leaving whatever they're doing.
The interface is intended to feel lightweight and unobtrusive.
It's literally a bar that can be summoned from anywhere, dragged or resized, and even minimized, letting users stay in flow whether they’re writing a document, browsing, or gaming.
It even includes Google Lens, too, which allows users to select parts of the screen (an image, text, or diagram) and run visual searches.
Users can, for example, translate text, identifying objects, or using OCR (optical character recognition) without leaving the current open window, or taking a screenshot.
But what stands out the most, is the built-in AI Mode, which offers deeper, conversational responses and follow-up prompts for more complex or multi-part queries.
So rather than just getting a list of search results, users can ask something like: "What are the major milestones in my Google Drive docs about climate change?" or "Translate this text and then summarize the meaning", all from the same overlay.
The app also supports various filters, like images, shopping, videos, etc., and also a dark mode.
The goal is to combine multiple strands of search (local, cloud, web, visual) into one unified tool. Currently, it’s available only in English and for users in the U.S., with Windows 10 or later required.
This app is both exciting possibilities and valid concerns.
On the plus side, for people who frequently switch between apps, windows, or tabs, this could significantly reduce friction. Having local files and cloud documents (Drive) show up in the same search stream means less context switching and faster results. It also places Google more firmly into the desktop workflow, which is the very space where Microsoft and its native Windows tools (like Windows Search, Copilot, PowerToys Run) have generally been the default rulers.
On the flip side, there are obvious questions around privacy, permissions, and how data is handled.
By giving Google access to look for files, Google can literally get local file metadata, and index and store (at least temporarily) the caches of the files.
What's more, when Lens is used to capture screen content, there is no exact explanation to what part of the image is processed locally by the app, and what is sent to Google's servers.
Then, there are questions about the telemetry that can be collected, and the logs that are kept, and how long they're kept.
Since this Google app for Windows is initially introduced as a Search Labs experiment, Google prioritizes in gathering feedback, which means that many of the technical and privacy-specific details have not yet been fully documented.
All in all, this new Google Windows app hints at a future where search is less about opening browser tabs or firing up a search engine, but much more about context-aware, multimodal tools that work wherever users are.
If the privacy challenges are addressed well, this app could become a significant productivity tool, especially for power users or people deeply invested in both local files and cloud storage.
It could also serve as a way for Google to push deeper into Microsoft’s ecosystem, creating opportunities within its rival's operating system that could significantly strengthen its business.